Using Problem Structuring Methods in Strategic Planning

Abstract

In this paper we present approaches to problem structuring that have been employed to derive planning guidelines as part of a comprehensive strategic planning process. The approaches were developed for use in the context of a developing country, where quantitative data is particularly scarce. They rely heavily upon the informed judgement of technical planning officers. We discuss ways of ensuring that the approach remains flexible and participative.

Meeting global health challenges through operational research and management science

“…Structured approaches to identifying options, such as the strategic choice approach 23 or systematic creativity approaches such as the Russian-invented methodology TRIZ (translated as "theory of inventive problem solving"), 24 have great potential for use in low-resource settings. 25 New approaches are important for global health because strategies and programmes must be designed to deal with both current and future challenges -from the global spread of disease to the impact of climate change. This can sometimes take us beyond traditional forecasting methodologies to the use of scenario analysis and other futures thinking methods.…”

The use of problem structuring methods in strategic health planning

“…These approaches were first adopted in a generic strategic planning approach developed for provincial health planning in Pakistan -(see Barker, Thunhurst and Ross, 1998;and Thunhurst and Barker, 1999). They were subsequently employed in a one-off planning exercise to produce a 'Master' Health Plan for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan and are being incorporated into the regular health planning process in Malawi.…”

“…In an earlier paper Thunhurst and Barker (1999) presented a detailed approach in which problem structuring methods are employed throughout. It involves the development of a problem tree, the inversion of the problem tree into a hierarchy of objectives, and the specification of broad problem areas, which would be termed decision areas in the language of the Strategic Choice Approach.…”

“…But, given the accelerated timescale over which the exercise was undertaken and the shortage of technical planning expertise available to support the process, the prioritization techniques of mapping and ranking were applied less formally. Thus, the full ranking procedure, described in Thunhurst and Barker (1999), was not undertaken. Also, partly as a consequence of the accelerated timescale, but also as a product of the prevailing structures of decision-making within FATA, the procedures were generally undertaken in a less participatory way than envisaged.…”

“…The problem identification process had yielded a total of 56 individual problem issues which participants at a prioritization workshop were asked to address. These problem issues were sorted by the participants into a problem tree, by separating them into causes, core problems, and effects and establishing causal linkages -as described by Thunhurst and Barker (1999). Following the generation of this hierarchy, the problem issues were mapped.…”